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FEIERS. MOTO-LITHDBRAPNER. WASHXNGTDN, D c.

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CHARLES BOULAY, OF PARIS,. FRANCE, ASS'IGNOR TO JEAN DAVID SCHNEITER, OFTHE SA ME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 70,791, datcol November 12, 1867; patented in France,May 25, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN GALVNIG BATTERIES.

TO ALL WHOM IT'MAY CON CERN:

Be it known that I, CHARLES BOULAY, of Paris, in the Empire of Fran cc,have invented certain Improvements in Galvanic Batteries; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanyng drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to improved arrangements of galvanic batteres,with the object of imparting to them a great constaney of action duringa much longer period, as is the case with Daniel s or otherhitherto-known electric batteries; besides, my improved battcries may berun for several months without requiring cleansing, or the addition ofanything, except, perhaps, 'a small quantity of water; and nocrystallization on the electrodes or connecting tongues, or theevolution of any noxious gas, takes place in them, which advantagesconsequently render them extremely useful for cleotric telegraphs, theringing of bells or alarums, or other similar purposes.

The principle on which my improved arrangements of' galvanc batteriesare based consists in putting the electro-motive met als or bodies-sueh,for instance, as zinc, Copper, carbon, or others-iu contact with anysuitable dry or slightly moistened, and more or less coarsely divided,pulverized, or crystallized exciting matters or' mixture of the same,and which receive by little and little, and through any suitable porouspartition, plate, diaphragm, ofseparating-vessel, and from any suitableexciting'liquid or solution, the moisture required for putting andkeeping them in the working condition.

According to this principle,various arrangements may be given to myimproved batteries or galvanic elonets, of which I will describe moreparticularly two, which have given me the most satisfactory results. Inthe annexed drawings- Figure 1 shows a vertical section, taken over theline x 3 of fig. 2, of a single cell or galvanie element constructedaccording to my improved principle.

F'gure shows a top view of the element, with the layer b of cementremoved in order better to show the internal arrangement of the element.

In both figures the same letters refer to corresponding parts. v

It will be understood that any suitable number of these cells orelements may be connected together i'n the well-known manner to form agalvanie battery.

A is the outer vessel, of poreelain, glass, stone, or earthenware, guttapercha, or any other suitable material, in which vessel A is to be put aporous vessel, B, of any suitable porous material as is usually employedfor galvanic batteries, such as porous earthenware, plaster 'of Paris,sail-eloth, bladder, natural orartificial parehment, or others. Thisporous vessel B is divided into two chambers or cells, d and d', bymeans of a porous' partition-plate, D. In the cell d is put the positiveelectro-motive metal or body, such, for instance, as an amalgamated or anon-amalgamated plate, F, of zine, while the other cell, d', containsthe negative electro-motive body or metal, such, for instance, as aplate, G, of coppcr, gas-coke, o' other suitable material. After theplates F and G, provided with their connecting tonguesf and g, have beenput into their respective chambers, d and d', these latter are filledwith suitable 'exciting materials or mixtures, in the state of a dry .orslightly moistened, more or less, coarse powder or crystals, which areto be in contaetwith the plates F and G. Thus, for instance, the chambercontaining the zine plate is to be filled with a mixture of about equalparte of flour of sulphur and kitchen salt, (chloride of sodium,) wlilstthe other chamber receives a mixtnre of the crystals'of sulphate ofcopper and ntrate of potash. The vessel B, thus arranged, is then putwithin the outer vessel A, and in the space left open between both isthrown a suflicient quantity of the crystals of sulphate of copper,after which the top of both vessels is hermetically sealed by a layer,lg, of any suitable water-proof cement, such, for instanee, as a meltedmixture of shellac and brick-dust, leaving the tongues f and gprotruding through the layer b, in .which latter is also inserted asmall funnel, m, (for allowing of=p`ouring water or other 'suitableliquid on the erystals C in the outer vessel,) and a small glass tube,n, for allowing the free escape of air or gas evolved in the interor ofthe element. A small hole, o, should also be provided towards the topinthe vessel B.

For putting the element into operation, a quantity 'of water, sufiicientfor about filling the outer vessel A, is poured in through the. funnelm, and four or five hours afterwardsthe element will be ready for work,and

will continue so for several consecutive months, if from time to time asmall quantity of water be added, for replacing that lost byevaporation.

Figure 3 shows a vertical sectional View, over the line x' y' of fig. 4,of a modification of the above-described rrangcmcnt.

Figure 4, showing a top view of this modification, with the layer ofcement b removed.

In thcsc figs. 3 and 4 the same letters refet to` corresponding parts.

In' the outer reservoir A is put the porous vessel, consisting of abottom part, B, resting on three small feet, 6', and provided with twovertical eircu lar porous sides or cylindrical pcrous diaphragms, B andB, Jetwecn which latter are Situated the'two electro-motive mctals li'and Gr, the latter separated from each other y a porous partition, H, ofstout paper or other suitable material. The electro-motive metals orbodies F and C'r, which I prefer to be zine and Copper, are of acylindrical shape, in order to eller a large surface to the action f theexciting matters in which each of them is embedded. Thus, for instance,the Zinc pia-te F is embedded n a mixture of flour of sulphur andkitchen salt, and the copper plate G in one of coarsely-pulverizedcrystals f sulphate of copper and nitrate of potash, whilst the outervessel A is provided with a suitable quantity of ;he said crystals ofsulplate of Copper. As in the arrangcment of figs. 1 and 2, to each ofthe plates F and G' s soldcred its respective connecting strips f and g,which are to protrude beyond the layer I of cement with vhich the top ofthe element is to he hermetically sealed, and in which are inserted, thesame as` has been :xplained in respect to the figs. 1 and 2, a small`funnel, m, and'an air-tube, n, whilst one or more small holcs nay beprovided in the u pper part of the porous sidcs or diaphragms :B and Bfor allowing the free escape of 'he air or gas from the intcrior of theelement. For putting this latter into working order, a sut'ficientquantity if water is poured in by the funnel m, so as ncarly to fill theouter vessel A, leaving only a small open space 'ree at the top,underneath the layer b of cement.

I would at once remark here that as the crystals or othercoarsely-pulverized exciting matters in the porous 'essel are' toattract by little and little, from the exciting solution contained inthe outer vessel, the quantity f li'quid required for moistcning them, Ithink it may be useful to add to the said crystals or mixtures of pul-'crized materials a suitable quantity of glycerine, chloride of calciun,or other substanccs which have a great ittraction for wat-er.

From what has been described above, and particularly from what has beensaid in the beginning o'f this pecification in respect to the principleon which is based' the construction of my improved batterics or galvanic=lCDlOYltS, may be inferrcd that a great many variations ormodifications may be madc in the arrangement of hcsc elements orbatterics without departing from the said principle. Thus, for instance,one or 'more zine and ne omorc copper plates maybe inserted in thesolution in the open space left between the inner or porous vessel .ndthe outer vessel or rcservoir, and these plates be kept separate or notfrom each other by suitable poroua artitions, so as to make the saidplates form one or more galvanic pairs or couplcs, which may be made useof ither alone or in combination with the galvanic couple or couples inthe inner or porous vessel. This latter aight also, by means of suitableporous partitions, be made' to contain several galvanic couples insteadof one, s has been described in respect to the figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4; or,instead of onc porous vessel, several of them may c provided in theouter vessel, each of them containing its own electro-motive metal orbody and exciting pow er, as described in figs. 1 and 2, or its owngalvanic couple, as described in figs. 3 and 4; or, instead of having hesaid electro-motiv.e metale or bodies and the exciting powders Situatedin the inner or porous vessel, they light bc located in the spacebetween the said inner or porous and the outcr vessel, in which case theporous r inner vessel is to contain the liquid exciting material; or theelectro-motive metais or bodies might be reduced 3 the granular state,and mixed with their respective pulverized or crystalline excitingpowders. I neither tcnd to restrict myself to any precse shape or sizeto be given to my improved galvanic elements, nor to the atteries formedof them, nor to partsthcreof, nor to any particular exciting matters ormixture of them, though prei'cr the .use of a mixture of flour ofsulphur and kitchen salt for the zine polo, and of the crystals ofsulhatc of copper and nitrate of potash for the copper pole. In casezine is made use of, the same may bc amalamated with mercury, or asuificient quantity of bioride of mercury be added to the excitingmatter-s of the in'o pole.

Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of myimprovcments in 'galvanic batteries, nd the manner'in which the same isor may be put into operation, I would declare, in conclusion, that whatI onsidcr to be novel and original, and what I therefore claim as myinvention in galvanic batteries or galvanic lcmcnts, is I Butting eachof the electro-motive mctals of each element in direct contact with anysuitable exciting matrs, or mixtures of them in the dry or slightlymoistcned and more or less coarsely-pulvcrized state, which xcitingmatter-s or mxtnrcs of them are to act on their respectiveelectro-motive metals or other electro-motive odies embedded in them, byattracting moisturc from any suitable exciting liquid or solution, fromwhich they rc kept separate by a' suitable porous partition ordiaphragm, substantially in the inanncr and for the purposes cscribcd.and illustratcd in the anncxed drawings.

BOULAY.

Wituesses:

A. G. Da ina, l\lANCIIE.

